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No brainer, really. I'd take him at 17 too. Super on-the-field leader.. We don't take him, Baltimore will.....

So the Alabama tape doesn't bother you? I admit it is the ONLY game I seen him play in, but it was truly shocking what I saw, after all the hype I read about him. Were his opponents up to that point so inferior that it made his play look stellar, only to crumble against NFL-ready opponents?
The Steelers desparately need to focus on football and get away from non-football distractions. As others have said, I would be very concerned with the media attention not related to football that he would attract.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o speaks to the media for the first time since news was revealed his supposed girlfriend wasn't real.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o was contrite and confident in addressing the media in a press conference held for him at the NFL Combine Saturday.

The questions surrounding him and his alleged relationship with a fake person - someone he never met - have come with an enormous level of criticism and scrutiny for the Heisman Trophy finalist.

Te'o spoke with the media for roughly 20 minutes, answering several dozen questions. He kept his answers short, and they were largely expected.

He deflected most direct questions about the incident and the follow-up questions regarding how he's handled it.

"I said all I needed to say about it. I'm handling it by just focusing on football," he said in response to the first question regarding the incident he was asked.

Te'o said he's already met with the Texans and the Packers, and he said he'll meet with 18 more teams at the Combine. He didn't say whether one of those were the Steelers, but the team does have a need for depth, if not a starter, at inside linebacker. Te'o is expected to be available when the Steelers are on the clock with the No. 17 pick.

He was asked a direct question about the possibility of being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, and replacing LB Ray Lewis, who retired after the team's Super Bowl championship in February.

"Ray Lewis is the kind of linebacker I strive to be," he said. "He has the talent, the leadership, everything you'd want in a player. If I went there, there would be some pretty big shoes to fill, that's for sure."

It always comes down to how much of what a troubled player says is believable, against his production on the field. Obviously, no team wants the embarrassment. They don't want to invest millions in a player who's going to cost them more in bad publicity. Regardless if he's being 100 percent truthful, a team will take him in the first round if he shows he's willing to accept their guidance.

The major reason for that is, outside of the whole bizarre situation, he's never found himself in any kind of trouble. There's nothing here suggesting it's a pattern.

There's something to be said about the fact he is facing the media, even if it comes well after the incident broke. He answered everything as well as could be expected, so perhaps this boosts his stock in the eyes of most.

It will only matter to a handful of teams who will have him high on their boards, perhaps higher than where they're picking.

So the Alabama tape doesn't bother you? I admit it is the ONLY game I seen him play in, but it was truly shocking what I saw, after all the hype I read about him. Were his opponents up to that point so inferior that it made his play look stellar, only to crumble against NFL-ready opponents?
The Steelers desparately need to focus on football and get away from non-football distractions. As others have said, I would be very concerned with the media attention not related to football that he would attract.

All that being said, can they get off this dude already? Holy crap, who cares anymore about fake girl friend?

It will run its course but this is what happens when an off field story is used to hype a guy up. Imagine if we found out Tebow was an aethiest... lol.

This is why I hate the media/pr hype some players get that has nothing to do with their play on the field. He probably should have played in the Senior Bowl given the info he had at the time. His last game was awful...and then the fake gf story emerged... this will follow him until he plays football.

I could care less about his girlfriend crap off the field. I just don't see him being a difference maker worthy of pick #17.

Is he going to help us create more QB pressure? Is he going to make us better in coverage?

Also, I want a guy that seems a little off. A guy that's a little violent. A little cocky. A guy to rile up the troops. And the one thing all the media coverage has shown is the Teo is a soft spoken and quiet guy. We need a leader. We've got too many church mice on this team already.

I want a guy that plays like James Harrison with a personality like James Farrior/Joey Porter.

I could care less about his girlfriend crap off the field. I just don't see him being a difference maker worthy of pick #17.

Is he going to help us create more QB pressure? Is he going to make us better in coverage?

Also, I want a guy that seems a little off. A guy that's a little violent. A little cocky. A guy to rile up the troops. And the one thing all the media coverage has shown is the Teo is a soft spoken and quiet guy. We need a leader. We've got too many church mice on this team already.

I want a guy that plays like James Harrison with a personality like James Farrior/Joey Porter.

This.

Got too many nice guys ala Troy. Need a few s____kickers on this team and hopefully one that will emerge as a team leader, either through his mouth or through his play.